


Stepping out for the New Year

by hopelessly_me



Category: Marvel
Genre: M/M, New Years Eve, Secret Relationship, fake date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-21 21:29:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Tony and Steve have been secretly dating for six months before Steve decides they need to come out with it.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 92





	Stepping out for the New Year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CountessOfLovelace (Original_Cypher)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Original_Cypher/gifts).



> I wrote this version for CountessofLovelace after their comment on "New Years Kiss"- the Bucky/Clint version of this same story timeline. This is my first time doing this pairing so it was a fun challenge that has been driving me crazy for the last five days.
> 
> Anyway- enjoy! =)

“ _Sir, Captain Steven Rogers is asking if it’s okay that he is a few minutes early for his appointment,”_ the AI system alerted Tony.

“Uh- yeah, yeah, send him up,” Tony answered. “Thank you, JARVIS,” he added as he looked at the molecular structure of a compound he wanted to use for a new project. It was still unstable by all calculations, which was beginning to become more and more frustrating by the moment. Tony grabbed a pen and twirled it between his fingers as he thought.

“You know, if you look at it long enough, you may actually scare it into doing what you want,” Steve joked as he walked in.

“Uh huh. I was hoping your sex appeal might do the trick,” Tony answered before he closed the screens. “Sadly, you didn’t turn it on. Me, however-” Tony taunted. “JARVIS, set security protocol SR1.”

“You realize I know what SR stands for, right?” Steve asked.

“ _Protocols set, sir,_ ” the AI announced.

“I do. But it’s much more satisfying to say it that way,” Tony laughed before he leaned up and kissed Steve. “Hi you.”

“Hi you, yourself,” Steve said. “You forgot we have an appointment, didn’t you?”

Tony tsked at Steve before he stepped back. “Like I would forget. You are early though,” he pointed out, sitting on his desk. “What excuse did you give?”

“Same as always,” Steve answered, sitting next to him. “Trying to talk you into changing your mind of leaving the arms race and help us build weapons that could win wars, should we need them. Cleared my schedule for two hours, and then will report back that you are being as ornery as ever.”

“You realize I love when you lie, right?” Tony asked. “There is something about the great Steve Rogers lying to his superiors that just- well-”

Steve snorted and brushed against Tony. “Yeah, I believe you have mentioned it once or twice. I am becoming better at it, which isn’t exactly a good thing. Which reminds me- we need to cut to the chase here at some point so I don’t have to keep lying.”

Tony groaned before he pouted, but Steve didn’t budge. It was six months into their relationship and they had kept it as quiet as possible. Tony’s break up with Pepper had been mostly been driven due to media attention; and Steve’s break up with Sam Wilson turned ugly due to lies and rumors spread by the media. Neither of them were prepared for that again, at least not this early into their relationship.

“You want to come straight out with it then?” Tony asked, a little surprised.

“How much longer do you think you can hide it from Clint before he feels hurt?” Steve asked. Tony pulled a face. “Exactly. Bucky is going to be upset enough that I hid this from him for six months. At least I have the excuse that I wanted to focus on his health instead of my relationship. You don’t really get that option with Clint. And… let’s be honest here- you are kinda using him.”

“Can we _not_ describe it as using him?” Tony asked.

“How else would you describe dangling Clint off to the media as your plus one, sparking those rumors, so you can secretly be dating me?” Steve asked.

“Well, when you word it that way…” Tony muttered.

Clint was Tony’s best friend since they were fifteen. Clint had joined a few of the Stark Foundations after school programs that were set up for underprivileged children in the city. Tony remembered seeing Clint that first day at kickboxing, his clothes ratty and his hair more that slightly disheveled, but he had an intensity to him that was appealing. After months of showing up to workout with him, which Tony didn’t really want to do, he finally worked up the courage to ask Clint out on a date. Clint just looked at him with that classic lopsided smile and told Tony he could do better.

They dated for a very brief period of time, but Tony wasn’t made to be a military boyfriend, and there was a lot of resentment that formed between the two. They had lost contact for many years until Tony had heard from a mutual friend that Clint was back stateside, honorably discharged from service after an attack in Syria left him with permanent hearing loss and PTSD. Tony dropped what he was doing and went to pay Clint a visit, and it was almost as if their fighting hadn’t happened. The anger and resentment was gone, and they could finally breathe again.

However, Tony had _maybe_ been secretly using Clint as a cover. For some reason, the media ate Clint up, probably because he wasn’t on social media making him a mystery, and rumors began spreading about Tony and Clint being in a relationship. And while Tony wanted to deny it, it had covered up any trace of people realizing just how often Tony and Steve were together. Sure, a few people on the internet had speculated as much, but all the focus was on just how close Clint and Tony were. It was the perfect cover.

“So, what’s the plan then?” Tony asked.

“New Year’s Eve we are both scheduled to attend the same event,” Steve hinted.

“... isn’t that somehow cliche?” Tony asked, earning him an exhausted look. “Okay, no, you are right. We have been dating long enough, I think we can probably handle the attention. And I love cliches, I am a sucker for cliches.”

“And you said I am a terrible liar,” Steve said. “Still bringing Barton as your plus one?”

“Yep,” Tony grinned. “Just in case you get cold feet.”

“You mean in case _you_ get cold feet,” Steve stressed.

“Stop knowing me so well, Steve,” Tony scolded gently as he stood back up. “It makes it really hard to casually lie to you.”

  
  


“In three days I need you to suit up,” Tony said during lunch, stabbing his salad and wishing he was eating what Clint had- the cheeseburger smell was driving him insane. Clint looked up, a bit of ketchup and mayo smeared on the corners of his lips, which really wasn’t helping the regret Tony felt about ordering a salad. “There is a charity event and I am requesting-”

“Demanding,” Clint said, his mouth half full of food.

“-that you come as my plus one,” Tony finished, ignoring the interjection. “Wear that suit I bought you.”

“See, demanding,” Clint said with a smirk. He grabbed his napkin and wiped his face before he leaned back. “And what exactly is in it for me?” he asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Free booze, free food,” Tony answered.

“Two of my favorite things in life,” Clint agreed. “You do realize that every time we go out together I get to hear shit from Natasha _and_ Kate about what the magazines say, right? And Twitter. Always the Twitter.”

This is one of the reasons why Tony loved Clint- the guy really didn’t care about his social presence. No matter how much Tony harped that they were living in a social media world and Clint needed to dive in, the only account he had was on Instagram, and it mostly consisted of pictures of dogs he runs into. No Twitter, _barely_ responsive on Instagram- Clint just liked his life simple.

“Are you complaining?” Tony asked.

Clint rolled his eyes. “Not particularly,” he answered. “I just find it weird, y’know? We aren’t dating anymore, and yet seeing it flash everywhere that we are- it’s just weird.”

“Well, the moment I make a friend that makes better arm candy than you, I will kick you to the curb,” Tony answered, wiggling his eyebrows before he took a bite of what he was considering the fourth layer of hell. Clint watched him eat before he bit his lip, then slowly started to smile. “What? What is that look all about?” Tony asked with a huff.

“I just can’t help to think of the poor lettuce on your plate being stabbed repeatedly into shreds before you _actually_ take a bite,” Clint teased. “I mean hell, Tones. If it sucks that much, just order a fucking burger.” He took a large bite out of his own burger to make a show of it.

“I am supposed to be eating healthier, thank you,” Tony pointed out. “Which is why you should be a supportive friend and maybe try to eat healthy with me?”

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell, buddy,” Clint sang. “Someone has to torture you. Pepper isn’t doing a good enough job at it.” He wiped his mouth again and slid the plate between them. “Eat some fries, join the dark side.”

“Early death from clogged arteries does sound better than eating this,” Tony said. “Anyway, New Year’s Eve-”

“Awww, Tony, no,” Clint whined. “Not a holiday. That’s my day to go to the bar for a random hookup.”

“You have no shame.”

“You are certainly not one to talk,” Clint reminded him. _Dick_.

“Not taking no for an answer, Clint,” Tony said. “You have to be my plus one. I can’t go stag. Think of how that would look.”

“Sad? Pathetic? Lonely?” Clint wondered aloud.

“... why are we friends again?”

The grin that spread across Clint’s face was verging on sinful. “Because according to you- I have nice arms and a nice ass.” He tossed his napkin down. “Yeah, alright. I’ll do it for you and the freebies. But you _owe_ me.”

“Name it,” Tony said. His phone went off and he looked down. “And apparently I am late to my own meeting.”

“Again,” Clint laughed. “See you in a few days, Tony.”

Tony was surprised Clint actually cleaned up. The suit Tony bought him fit like a glove and Clint actually had his hair tamed. It reminded him of Clint from years ago, from when they were dating and he tried for Tony’s benefit. It didn’t matter how many times Tony told him that he wasn’t really in it for the clean cut look from Clint, Clint had always been self-conscious about their differences, even if he didn’t vocalize it.

What Tony wasn’t expecting was for Clint to bring up Steve Rogers, how they would make a good match. For a brief moment, Tony thought he had been caught red handed. But then an idea settled in his head and, well, he grabbed his phone and texted Steve. _Abort mission for tonight- making a deal with Clint._

“You know what- I’ll make you a deal,” Tony said as they walked together. “If I see you at midnight in someone’s loving embrace-”

“Gag.”

“-then I will ask Rogers out on a date.” Clint sighed as dramatically as he could before he looked at Tony. At least it seemed to pacify him, especially when Tony carefully spun it back on Clint’s time with his last boyfriend, who Tony wouldn’t mind discreetly killing, but that was another story.

Shaking Clint at this party was harder than Tony had anticipated; he was a little more on edge than normal, which was likely due to a few more flashing lights than what he was used to. Tony just hoped he wouldn’t close himself off, have a flashback to the war because then Tony would have to figure out what to do with that; Clint was terrible at vocalizing when he needed help with anything, and Tony wasn’t exactly good at reading Clint anymore.

But thankfully a sweet older lady asked Clint how he met Tony, and Clint answered in the most diplomatic way he could. Tony launched himself into a story, being a little more dramatic than what Clint tended to like, and he could see Clint’s annoyance building. When he offered to go grab drinks, Tony was a little relieved.

He checked his watch and scanned the room. Steve was talking with a group of dignitaries, but he caught Tony’s gaze. He gave a small nod before he looked around the room. And that’s when he tipped his head to the bar. Tony looked that way and grinned. Clint was talking to James Barnes, Steve’s best friend and honestly? This was the best outcome. Because if Tony knew Clint, which he did, he knew the moment Clint thought he could be sneaky and trick Tony into asking Rogers out, he would snap it up. And with Clint having a goal in mind, he would be distracted; it helped that Clint was charming and could probably keep Barnes entertained for the evening, freeing Steve up.

Tony headed to the agreed upon meeting place and waited, taking a deep breath. The door opened and he looked up. “Hey you,” he greeted.

“Hey,” Steve replied, walking over. Just like every kiss, it was short but not rushed and sweet- it was a change of pace that Tony actually enjoyed.Steve leaned against the wall next to Tony afterwards and took a deep breath and sighed. “What a night.”

“Mhhh,” Tony agreed. “So… your guy is… tied up. My guy is tied up…”

“So why are we aborting the main mission?” Steve asked.

“I told Clint that if he found his way into someone’s loving embrace by midnight, I’d ask you out,” Tony admitted. Steve rose an eyebrow. “It just so happens that now _my_ best friend is flirting with _your_ best friend, thinking he is going to be sneaky, and _maybe_ we can all have a win here.”

“You think Clint and Bucky will try to trick us?” Steve asked, amused by the concept.

“You don’t?” Tony asked. “Right, you don’t know Clint that well. He is going to tell Bucky that I like you, and Bucky is probably going to say something along those lines. So Clint is going to propose they fake date all night… just to try to get me to ask you out.”

Steve puzzled over it for a moment. “Alright, sure, I suppose that adds up.”

“And if we are lucky, _maybe_ they will take it a step further?” Tony hinted. “With some encouragement because I don’t know about Bucky, but Clint can be oblivious. To everything. He is awful.”

Steve laughed and nodded in agreement. “Come on- we can sneak out of here for an hour or something,” he suggested.

“You are a terrible influence, Stevie,” Tony said, walking towards the door. “We can be gone for however long; we just need to be back by midnight to make sure Clint upholds his end of the bargain.”

“And?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, yeah, and we make it official,” Tony agreed. “You are really sticking to that plan, huh?” Steve shrugged as he followed behind.

The problem was getting away. There were people vying for their attention, and sneaking out was becoming a distant dream. Tony would send looks to Steve, sometimes catching him doing the same. Tony at least got to be in some of the same conversations with Steve- occasionally a government official would pull the two together. Even so- it was a drag.

Being out in public meant Tony wouldn’t see the other side of Steve that made him so irresistible. He was so reserved in public, which is probably why he did so well for himself in the military. But in private he would tip his head back and laugh straight he from the stomach, and Tony enjoyed seeing the way his face scrunched when Bucky or himself would tell a joke he didn’t care for. The way he relaxed when he knew his guard could come down was the most satisfying thing Tony had ever seen, even if Tony would never tell Steve that.

With their escape plan ruined, Tony made a lap, trying to spot Clint. He couldn’t help the proud smile as he watched the two former soldiers sitting at a table, both leaned in and shooting the shit; but better than that, Clint looked _happy_. Tony wanted to send a text, throw Clint off his game if at all possible, but he didn’t really want to ruin the moment. Instead he turned and pulled his phone out, snapping a selfie with the two in the background. On the photo Tony wrote “that’s right- we did that” and sent it to Steve before he pocketed his phone.

It was a few minutes before midnight that Tony found his way to Steve, excusing them from whatever conversation Steve was in the middle off. Steve gave him a sharp look, mildly annoyed by the brash action, but eased up when they were a distance away. Tony leaned back against the wall and waited until Steve was situated, _not_ leaning, next to him.

“You didn’t think I’d let them keep you all the way to midnight, right?” Tony asked, his voice filled with laughter.

“It was still rude,” Steve pointed out.

“You are going to have to get used to it if we make this public, I’m always rude,” Tony replied. Steve chuckled under his breath and looked at Tony through his lashes. “Did you _see_ them?” he asked.

“The picture was adorable,” Steve offered with that small smile he reserved for the public. “You think they are actually going to do it?”

Tony stood on his tiptoes and peered through the crowd. “Considering they are currently slow dancing?” He laughed loudly when Steve’s head whipped over to watch them. “Smooth, Rogers,” Tony teased. “You’re adorable.”

“You want to give that a shot?” Steve asked and Tony couldn’t help himself but to stare. Steve finally looked over with a slightly bigger smile. “What?”

“You want to slow dance into the new year?” Tony asked carefully.

Steve shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” He looked back at the clock. “On second thought-“

As soon as the thirty second countdown began, Tony was sure what he was feeling. Was he excited? Anxious? He wasn’t sure anymore because it seemed like every emotion was pooling in his stomach, making it a little too hard to breathe. He knew he wanted this- wanted to come clean and let people know who he loved. And Steve looked more confident by the second.

Tony didn’t notice, didn’t _care_ , if Clint upheld his end of the deal. All he cared about was for the way Steve inched closer, and hand touching Tony’s cheek before he kissed him.


End file.
